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Geiseltaliellus
''Geiseltaliellus'' is an extinct genus of iguanian lizards that lived in what is now western Europe during the Eocene. It belongs to the family Corytophanidae, which includes modern casquehead lizards. Many fossils are known from Germany, France, and Belgium, with the most well preserved coming from the Messel pit lagerstätte in Messel, Germany. German paleontologist Oskar Kuhn named the genus in 1944 after the Geiseltal valley where the first specimens were found, designating the type species ''Geiseltaliellus longicaudus''. Three new species — ''G. louisi'', ''G. lamandini'', and ''G. grisolli'' — were named in the 1990s and 2000s on the basis of more fragmentary remains from France and Belgium, although ''G. louisi'' has since been synonymized with ''G. longicaudus''. In 2009 the Messel pit specimens were recognized as belonging to a species distinct from that of the ''G. longicaudus'' specimens in Geiseltalt and were collectively reclassified under a new name, ''G. maariu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Messel Pit
The Messel pit (german: Grube Messel) is a disused quarry near the village of Messel (Landkreis Darmstadt-Dieburg, Hesse) about southeast of Frankfurt am Main, Germany. Bituminous shale was mined there. Because of its abundance of well-preserved fossils dating from the middle of the Eocene, it has significant geological and scientific importance. Over 1000 species of plants and animals have been found at the site. After almost becoming a landfill, strong local resistance eventually stopped these plans and the Messel Pit was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site on 9 December 1995. Significant scientific discoveries about the early evolution of mammals and birds are still being made at the Messel Pit, and the site has increasingly become a tourist site as well. History Brown coal and later oil shale was actively mined from 1859. The pit first became known for its wealth of fossils around 1900, but serious scientific excavation only started around the 1970s, when falling oil ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Corytophanidae
Corytophanidae is a family of iguanian lizards, also called casquehead lizards or helmeted lizards, endemic to the New World. Nine species of casquehead lizards from three genera are recognized. Geographic range Corytophanids are found from Mexico, through Central America, and as far south as Ecuador. Certain species are now extant in South Florida and are considered invasive. Description The casquehead lizards are moderately sized lizards, with laterally compressed bodies, and typically have well-developed head crests in the shape of a casque helmet. This crest is a sexually dimorphic characteristic in males of ''Basiliscus'', but is present in both sexes of ''Corytophanes'' and ''Laemanctus''.Pough et al. (2003). In past years there has been evidence of corytophanids in the Eocene of North America. The greatest percentage of omnivorous species (> 10% plant diet), over 30% in each, and the highest mean percentage of plant matter in the diet are corytophanids. Behavior In ''C ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Eocene
The Eocene ( ) Epoch is a geological epoch that lasted from about 56 to 33.9 million years ago (mya). It is the second epoch of the Paleogene Period in the modern Cenozoic Era. The name ''Eocene'' comes from the Ancient Greek (''ēṓs'', " dawn") and (''kainós'', "new") and refers to the "dawn" of modern ('new') fauna that appeared during the epoch. The Eocene spans the time from the end of the Paleocene Epoch to the beginning of the Oligocene Epoch. The start of the Eocene is marked by a brief period in which the concentration of the carbon isotope 13C in the atmosphere was exceptionally low in comparison with the more common isotope 12C. The end is set at a major extinction event called the ''Grande Coupure'' (the "Great Break" in continuity) or the Eocene–Oligocene extinction event, which may be related to the impact of one or more large bolides in Siberia and in what is now Chesapeake Bay. As with other geologic periods, the strata that define the start and e ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pleurodonta
Pleurodonta (from Greek '' lateral teeth'', in reference to the position of the teeth on the jaw) is one of the two subdivisions of Iguania, the other being Acrodonta ('' teeth on the top f the jaw'). Pleurodonta includes all families previously split from Iguanidae ''sensu lato'' ( Corytophanidae, Crotaphytidae, Hoplocercidae, Opluridae, Polychrotidae, etc.), whereas Acrodonta includes Agamidae and Chamaeleonidae. The name Pleurodonta was first used by paleontologist and herpetologist Edward Drinker Cope Edward Drinker Cope (July 28, 1840 – April 12, 1897) was an American zoologist, paleontologist, comparative anatomist, herpetologist, and ichthyologist. Born to a wealthy Quaker family, Cope distinguished himself as a child prodigy intereste ... in 1864, although he used it in a different sense than it is used today. Because of this difference, the name Iguanoidea has been proposed as a replacement for Pleurodonta in phylogenetic nomenclature. ''Pleurodonta'' is al ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Basiliscus Basiliscus
The common basilisk (''Basiliscus basiliscus'') is a species of lizard in the family Corytophanidae. The species is endemic to Central America and South America, where it is found near rivers and streams in rainforests. It is also known as the Jesus Christ lizard, Jesus lizard, South American Jesus lizard, or ''legarto de Jesus Cristo'' for its ability to run on the surface of water. Description The common basilisk can be distinguished from similar species within its range by its large size and the high fin-like crest along its back. Most common basilisks are brown and cream in color. Males also have high crests on the head and tail. Both sexes are brown to olive, and have a white, cream, or yellow stripe on the upper lip and a second stripe along either side of the body; these stripes have higher contrast in juveniles and fade as the lizards age. Hatchlings weigh a mere and are long. Adults can grow to a total length (including tail) of 76 cm (2.5 feet). Females are gen ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Polychrotidae
The Polychrotidae family (sometimes classified as the Polychrotinae subfamily instead) of iguanian lizards contains the living genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial n ... ''Polychrus'' (commonly called bush anoles) and the extinct genus ''Afairiguana''. The family Polychrotidae was once thought to encompass all anoles, including those in the genus ''Anolis'' (which are now included in the family Dactyloidae). Studies of the evolutionary relationships of anoles based on molecular information has shown that ''Polychrus'' is not closely related to ''Anolis'', but instead closer to Hoplocercidae. It is therefore not part of Dactyloidae and instead is treated as the family, Polychrotidae. References Polychrotidae, Extant Ypresian first appearances Lizard famili ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Iguanidae
The Iguanidae is a family of lizards composed of the iguanas, chuckwallas, and their prehistoric relatives, including the widespread green iguana. Taxonomy Iguanidae is thought to be the sister group to the collared lizards (family Crotaphytidae); the two groups likely diverged during the Late Cretaceous, as that is when ''Pristiguana'' and ''Pariguana'', the two earliest fossil genera, are known from. The subfamily Iguaninae, which contains all modern genera, likely originated in the earliest Paleocene, at about 62 million years ago. The most basal extant genus, '' Dipsosaurus,'' diverged from the rest of Iguaninae during the late Eocene, about 38 million years ago, with '' Brachylophus'' following a few million years later at about 35 million years ago, presumably after its dispersal event to the Pacific. All other modern iguana genera formed in the Neogene period. A phylogenetic tree of Iguaninae is shown here: Description Iguanas and iguana-type species are divers ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hoplocercidae
Hoplocercidae are a family of lizards native to the tropical forests, woodlands and savanna-like habitats of Central and South America. Alternatively they are recognized as a subfamily, Hoplocercinae. 20 species in three genera are described. Species Family: Hoplocercidae * Genus '' Enyalioides'' ** '' Enyalioides altotambo'' Torres-Carvajal, Venegas, & de Queiroz, 2015 – Alto Tambo woodlizard ** '' Enyalioides anisolepis'' Torres-Carvajal, Venegas, & de Queiroz, 2015 – rough-scaled woodlizard ** '' Enyalioides azulae'' Venegas, Torres-Carvajal, Duran, & de Queiroz, 2013 ** '' Enyalioides binzayedi'' Venegas, Torres-Carvajal, Duran, & de Queiroz, 2013 ** '' Enyalioides cofanorum'' Duellman, 1973 – Cofan woodlizard, Duellman's dwarf iguana ** '' Enyalioides feiruzae'' Venegas, Chávez, García-Ayachi, Duran, & Torres-Carvajal, 2021 ** '' Enyalioides heterolepis'' ( Bocourt, 1874) – Bocourt's dwarf iguana ** ''Enyalioides laticeps'' ( Guichenot, 1855) – br ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Crotaphytidae
The Crotaphytidae, or collared lizards, are a family of desert-dwelling reptiles native to the Southwestern United States and northern Mexico. Alternatively they are recognized as a subfamily, Crotaphytinae, within the clade Pleurodonta. They are very fast-moving animals, with long limbs and tails; some species are capable of achieving bipedal running at top speed. This species is carnivorous, feeding mainly on insects and smaller lizards. The two genera contain 12 species. Technical characters *Femoral pores present *Interparietal scale small (distinctly smaller than ear opening) *Never have an enlarged middorsal scale row or fringe *Never have a divided rostral scale *No bony spines or projecting ridges on their heads *No scales projecting over their ears, and no scales forming a prominent fringe on sides of toes as in Phrynosomatidae Species Genus ''Gambelia'' ''Dahms Tierleben''. www.dahmstierleben.de/systematik/Reptilien/Squamata/Iguania/crotaphytidae. (leopard lizards) ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Priscagama Gobiensis
''Priscagama'' (meaning "earliest '' Agama''" in Latin) is an extinct genus of iguanian lizard from the Late Cretaceous of Mongolia and China. It belongs to an extinct family of iguanians called Priscagamidae (or subfamily Priscagaminae). Several incomplete skulls have been found in the Barun Goyot and Djadochta formations, and were originally referred to the genus '' Mimeosaurus''; the type species In zoological nomenclature, a type species (''species typica'') is the species name with which the name of a genus or subgenus is considered to be permanently taxonomically associated, i.e., the species that contains the biological type specimen ... ''Priscagama gobiensis'' was named in 1984 when it was recognized that these skulls belonged to a distinct species. ''Priscagama'' differs from most other priscagamids in having a more elongate, lightly built skull. It is very similar in appearance to another priscagamid called '' Pleurodontagama'', as the two can only be distinguishe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Iguania
Iguania is an infraorder of squamate reptiles that includes iguanas, chameleons, agamids, and New World lizards like anoles and phrynosomatids. Using morphological features as a guide to evolutionary relationships, the Iguania are believed to form the sister group to the remainder of the Squamata, which comprise nearly 11,000 named species, roughly 2000 of which are iguanians. However, molecular information has placed Iguania well within the Squamata as sister taxa to the Anguimorpha and closely related to snakes. The order has been under debate and revisions after being classified by Charles Lewis Camp in 1923 due to difficulties finding adequate synapomorphic morphological characteristics. Most Iguanias are arboreal but there are several terrestrial groups. They usually have primitive fleshy, non-prehensile tongues, although the tongue is highly modified in chameleons. The group has a fossil record that extends back to the Early Jurassic (the oldest known member is '' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cladogram
A cladogram (from Greek ''clados'' "branch" and ''gramma'' "character") is a diagram used in cladistics to show relations among organisms. A cladogram is not, however, an evolutionary tree because it does not show how ancestors are related to descendants, nor does it show how much they have changed, so many differing evolutionary trees can be consistent with the same cladogram. A cladogram uses lines that branch off in different directions ending at a clade, a group of organisms with a last common ancestor. There are many shapes of cladograms but they all have lines that branch off from other lines. The lines can be traced back to where they branch off. These branching off points represent a hypothetical ancestor (not an actual entity) which can be inferred to exhibit the traits shared among the terminal taxa above it. This hypothetical ancestor might then provide clues about the order of evolution of various features, adaptation, and other evolutionary narratives about an ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
